Consider this when buying your first EV

Picture this, it’s 2025, and you’re a fresh graduate looking for a car. Your dad came into quite a bit of money at work and is willing to splurge on buying you the first car you will ever have the liberty of owning. While in college you were relegated to your mother’s subcompact sedan, hatch, or crossover. The car earned you little to no street cred in college.

But now that your father sees that you have grown into a man, he deems you worthy of automobile ownership. As a young gun, looking to make a name for himself in the professional world, you need a professional looking vehicle. So your first car might have to be something that won’t get too old in the coming future. Gas guzzlers? Try an electric vehicle because in the coming future EVs will be more and more accessible to car buyers, so it is important for everyone to learn the ins and outs of EV ownership.

Charging is probably one of the more significant changes coming from a car, since gas guzzlers can just top up in almost any gas station. Within minutes you can bring your range back to full capacity. The same does not ring true with EVs as your car will require a charge in order for you to go the distance.

So you charge your car every night, no big deal? But the thing is, you have to plan your charging cycles since these cars are powered by batteries, and not fuel. You’d have to wait a few hours before the batteries are charged to capacity, unless there is a fast charging station available.

Standard power outlets are slow, but they can still provide power to the car. In the case of the Ioniq from Hyundai, it has a 28kWh battery, so if you must let it charge overnight, a total of 12 hours is needed. The rule of thumb is you divide the kWh rating of the car by your charging point kW rating. So for the standard outlet at home, it is rated at 2kW so you take the 28kWh pack and divide that by 2kW, and you end up with 14 hours. Hyundai claims that the Ioniq can charge like this for 12 hours to fill up its battery capacity.

A more specialized charging station comes in the form of an AC Electric Vehicle Supply Equipment (EVSE). These can charge at a higher rate and ranges from 3.6 to 7.2 kW. Doing the math, you can estimate that a 7.2kW rated charger can bring your Ioniq up to full charge in about 4 hours. Take note that these have to be integrated into the power grid, so the set up cost of this would be a little high if you were to place it in your home. However, in more developed countries, these stations are available to the public. Hopefully by 2025, there are provisions set in place for those willing to take the leap into the EV life.

If 4 hours is still too long for you, a DC fast charger that is on the extreme side of charging stations can output a total of 50kW, 70kW, or even 100kW. In less than an hour you can bring your EV up to 80%. Enough to stop for a plate of lunch on the way to your next destination. Doing the math and you get maximum speed when it comes to charging.

To add, in order to charge you might need a different plug in order to adapt the charging station to your car’s standard, just like a phone, you might need different leads or adapters that will hopefully be provided by the manufacturer when they sell the EV to you. Unless your EV comes with Nissan’s wireless charging system.

Although if you’re stuck in EDSA and you have half a charge left, the Metro isn’t too big, and you will most likely be able to make it home. If you are running low on battery, the vehicle will notify you, and as a backup, a reserve battery is there to eek out that extra kilometer or two for you to get home.

You wouldn’t have to worry though, because EVs are now boasting similar if not higher ranges than a car. They can be more efficient as well since there are technologies in place to charge the vehicle while it is braking. It’s becoming the norm in other countries, and it is about time that the Philippines gets its first EV. Fingers crossed for the Nissan LEAF coming in 2020, and the Kona EV to sell well in the Philippines.